Overview # A stacked bar plot is used to compare groups of observations and also show the proportions of the observations within each group. The overall height of the bars is the sum of the different observations within the groups. A stacked bar plot is analogous to a stacked area plot. When to use # A stacked bar plot works well to convey the total sum of a given group. ...
Overview # A dendrogram is a network diagram that shows the hierarchical relationship between things. More colloquially, a dendrogram shows how things fit into other things. Visually, a dendrogram looks like an inverted tree. The language used in referring to parts of a dendrogram follows this tree analogy. At the very top of the dendrogram is a single node, called the root. The root is considered a commonality across all the observations in the plot. ...
Overview # A spine plot shows stacked bars with varying widths along two numerical variables – one on each of the vertical and horizontal axis. The height of the bars correspond to the vertical axis, and the width of the bars correspond to the horizontal axis. Each bar represents values for a particular group or category. Visually, it looks like a stacked bar chart with bars of varying widths. ...
Overview # An error bar is a visual element that can be added on top of a plot to show spread or uncertainty in the underlying data. The error bars usually represent things like standard deviation, standard error, or margin of error. Visually, an error bar looks like a line crossing through a feature on the plot. The bar moves along a quantitative (measured) value. The number of error bars used depends on the number of numerical value types there are. ...
Overview # An arc daigram is a one-dimensional network graph that highlights clusters and connections. Think of the points as things, and the lines (or arcs) connecting those things as connections. Those things can represent people, and the arcs can represent relationships or friendships. Those things can also represent say countries, and the arcs trade. Or respectively computers, and data transfers. At the end of the day, an arc diagram is really a network graph smushed flat. ...
Overview # Candlestick charts are primarily used in trading, such as for stocks or commodities. They are designed to convey a few pieces of financial information in a very compact form: Opening price Closing price High price Low price A candlestick chart is made of a larger section called the real body, and two lines called wicks on either of the top and bottom of the real body. ...
Overview # A bump plot (or bump chart) is a way to show how rankings change over time. It shows relative ordering rather than absolute values. Visually, bump plots look like a variation of line plots. When to use # Use a bump plot when you’re trying to convey details about relative ordering. They’re not so great for communicating absolute values over time. For something like that, stick to a more conventional line plot. ...
Overview # An area plot shows how some particular value changes as another value changes. A simple area plot is made up of a line that moves right along the horizontal axis, and its vertical position moves up and down to match some value. The area under the line is filled in with shading or color. The line itself can be removed once the area is filled. Functionally, an area plot is very similar to a line plot. ...
Overview # Hexagonal binning (hexbins in short) is a way to communicate density of data with two numerical fields by using position and color gradients rather than just raw points. Hexbin plots are a type of two-dimensional density plot. Alternative two-dimensional density plots include: Square density plots Contour plots Kernel density plots Extension of histograms # A lot of the thinking used to put together histograms applies here. ...
Overview # A proportional stacked area plot is used to show the proportion of a whole that different groups represent along different phases. The whole measures out to 100% (or numerically, 1.0). When to use # A proportional stacked area plot is ideal for showing proportions. By itself, it’s not great if what you want to do is communicate actual counts or values. Data # Similar to a stacked area plot, a proportional area plot starts with at least three fields of data: ...